Yes. I was considered warfarin resistant because it took many months to get above an INR higher than a two. But I'm not sure why they dropped your warfarin down to 4 mgs if you had an INR of 2.25 (standard INR range is between 2-3 for most people) while at 5mgs.

There's nothing wrong with you. It just can take a while to dial into the right dosage for your body and there's no standard dosage. I've been on dosages as high as 15mgs a day. But now I only need 12mgs 6 days a week and 11 mgs one day a week. It's just a funky little drug.

Hang in there. It will work out eventually.

As RMB said, it is a weird medication. Literally everything you do or eat affects it one way or another. I had constant problems the first time I was on wafarin, and for most of the 9 months I was also sub-therapeutic, every time they thought they got a good dosage for me, there went my INR plummeting again! They considered my warfarin resistant also. Now this time I've been on for nearly 6 months again, and my INR has stayed in a good range the entire time. This is my personal theory on the matter, not backed up by anyone in the medical field, just what I opine based on what I've learned of it. I think it can be particularly hard for PE patients to stabilize, because we start out so sick, and as we get better there are constant changes in our behaviors. So, (and this was my case definitely) we start off eating almost nothing and also doing almost nothing. We usually feel too sick to eat much or do much. As we start getting better, our lives slowly start to return to normal - we start eating more normally, which will make our INR go down. Nearly everything has some vit K in it, so even if we're not making big changes in our "greens" diet, just eating more will lower our INR. Also, physical activity actually lowers our INR, so again, as we start feeling better and get up and do more, our body will somewhat adjust our INR, and the amount of coumadin we were taking to be in therapeutic range is no longer enough. Of course, if we miss any doses, especially on a regular basis, that will mess us up even more, and I to be honest I did have a little difficulty in getting used to taking a medication every day. Now when I clotted more recently, it wasn't nearly so difficult on me physically and I didn't experience changes in my physical activity or appetite, and we easily got into the right dose needed to keep my therapeutic.

For the record, you're not on a very high dose, and don't worry about how much you're taking, just take what your doctors say. I do find their dosing schedule with you odd, though, that you would take a higher dose for 3 consecutive days and a lower dose for 4 consecutive days. My clinic has always had me alternate the higher and lower doses because it keeps the average more even. As it is with the way you're dosed, I would imagine you'd register a bit higher if you're tested on a Monday, and bit lower if you were to be tested on a Friday. So you might want to ask them about that, but in any case it's probably not a huge deal, but it might be the difference in you coming in at 1.9 or 2.1 depending on the day you're tested. In any case, as you get used to taking it, and they figure out how your body reacts to the dose changes, things will get figured it, it just takes some patience sometimes....

Sarah

I agree, dont worry about your doses, it seems that everyone has the same experiences. Ive been reminded many times by my doc that it can take a long time to stabilise. She mentioned to me that shes had patients on it for years and they still have the same problems. When I first started on Warfarin (Nov 2010) I seemed to have good luck and stayed within my 2-3 range quite easily, then out of nowhere a few weeks ago I dropped suddenly and Im having trouble keeping it in the right range. It is just one of those things. I am on 6mg a day at the moment until my next appointment this Thursday and it will change again Im sure.

ShilosMommy made a good point, vitamin K is everywhere. I think thats why they recommend that you dont change your diet too drastically, even if you have small amounts of vit K (unknowlingly or otherwise) your dose will be tailored to you and your body and "should" stay the same if everything else stays the same. I know its not so simple but I wouldnt worry about it too much, trust your doctor and I hope things are otherwise going well for you.

Good evening Susan,
Hopefully Sarah and Rachael's advice has eased your concerns. If its any consolation, my INR was also pretty unstable (on the low side) for 6-8 weeks after leaving hospital. 7.5 mg turned out to be the magic number for me and things have been stable at that dose for over 9 months.

Hopefully that will be the case for you as well.

Best of Luck
Robert

i am 5 months out and am on 12.5 mg. 6 days and 1 day of 10 mg. I started at 5 mg. a day and could never stay therapeutic for long. It has meant INR checks every week to 2 weeks all along.

good luck to you.

ive been diagnosed coumaden resistant and was taking 17mg a day,the dr,s sed that is way too much as my inr would rise on that dose just outta the blue would drop,they have since pulled me off the pill and have me on a 100mg lovenox injection each nite at bed timeand no inr checks required as they say lovenox works a different way and always works and is no need to check my blood as long as i take the shot,insurance dont like to pay for it till its been proven you r resistant to coumaden as it is very pricey,i still feelembolism pain,fatigue,and sob.bless!

Thanks for the replies everyone!!

Shilosmommy, you make a lot of sense about when I'm getting tested. I tested on Friday last time, one day before I started my increased dosages for the weekend.

I'm not sure why they are dosing me that way either. But I scratched myself yesterday and bled more than normal, took awhile to stop. So I have hope that 7.5 could be my magic number.

Thanks all!!!

Hi there
Hang in there I am on 8mg daily owing to my warfarin flucuating owing to chest infection.